meibomian cyst on eyelid (aka chalazion) anyone any experience?

[dandycandyjellybean]

Similar to a stye except can get really large and may need surgical excising. My 2.4 ds has had a few days of conjunctivitus over xmas, then a stye that has kept coming and going, and now apparently a (so far) small red slightly swollen patch on his eyelid which the locum doctor diagnosed as the above. (I say diagnosed, he looked it up in a med dictionary and then held it out for me to read!!!)

All he said was 'let's not take any chances' and referred us to an opthamologist. Came home and googled it and everything I have read seems to indicate that in the early stages it can be treated with a/biotic eye drops etc. Am seeing my own gp in about 10 days when he returns from holiday, but was wondering if anyone could put my mind at rest in the meantime?

cubby, have a look at this

i had blockages in the ducts which create teh oils which lubricate your eyes - there was only a tiny bump. the people I saw at moorfields said to use a hot (v clean) flannel to melt the blockage and massage it a bit. you have to be scrupulous re: hygiene, use different cotton wool/flannels etc for each eye. think i had some cream too.

I had two removed when I was 14 yrs. It was done under GA but that was 26 yrs ago so don't know what they do now. It was quite minor and certainly didn't hurt afterwards. HTH

I had one removed under local when I was 12, it wasn't very pleasant but not too bad and I got to wear an eye patch on the way home! At least I thik thats what I had, sounds the same. Iirc we were given the option of surgery and I wanted it removed because it made me look like one eye was slightly droopy because of where it was. So possibly surgery isn't always necessary.

Omg, that all looks and sounds really terrifying!!!!!!! But thanks for replying. My poor, beautiful little ds, he has beautiful eyes, too. Check out the pics on the profile, pre mc.

I had 3 of the cysts ,2 on my one eye and 1 on the other.They were quite large and very sore looking and they wouldn't budge despite several courses of antibiotic eye drops.I was referred to the Opthalmologist who removed the 2 cysts.First he injected the corner of my eyelid with anesthetic omg it hurt and i had to keep my eye open whilst it stung.Then they clamped my eye open and the surgeon got a scalpel and scraped and tugged at the cysts(very bizarre feeling)then they put some cream in my eye and covered it with a patch which i had to keep on for 8 hours.My eye felt a bit gritty afterwards but was not painful and only slightly bruised.

I think in a lot of cases the antibiotic drops usually get rid.

My dd had a recurring stye on and off for months and a whole series of white patches on the inside of her lids which were chalazions. She had a number of goes at anti-biotics, both eye drops and orally, neither worked. We eventually saw an opthamologist and within 2 days she had the stye that had turned into a cyst removed and the chalazions cortorysed(sp?). It was done under a general and was very straight forward. The cyst was on her lower lid and now she has a little gap in her eye lashes but no real scar. Before all this I had tried the warm flannel thing and trying to keep her eyes clean but when she was only 3 years old this was pointless. She also dragged (and still does 2 years later) a snuggley rag thing that she will wipe her eyes with if she cries. She is still prone to little styes sometimes but they tend go of their own accord. I was told that she just has pretty active sebatious(sp? sorry) glands around her eye area. When the stye was removed it was about the size of a small pea.
Hope that helps.

After the surgery she didn't have to have an eye patch, she had a little stich where the stye had been removed and looked a little puffy. I was really suprised as to how quickly she returned to normal, there was no bruising from the surgery at all.

Thanks lilliput and pvfnm. Sorry couldn't put any pics on profile at mo. The majority opinion deffo seems to be that they don't go of their own accord. Scary but thanks for the info. Aaarrrggggh, just off for a large g and t! Thanks again.

cubby, I had one that went on its own, then another that didn't go. It wasn't awful, just a bit unsightly - not painful or anything. Eventually I had it removed under local anaesthetic (wouldn't be possible for a LO, I imagine!) and it came back

I went to acupuncture, cynically but desperately, and it went over the course of about three months. No idea if that was the acupuncture or coincidence, but it went and has never come back.

ABs worth a try, but don't worry too much if they don't go - and don't rush to surgically do anything unless there's very very good reason, IMO. HTH!

My dd had a bad stye last week that turned into a lump in her eyelid. Took her to eye hospital casualty and they were worried that it was pressing on her eye. She needed an urgent referral prob for an operation to remove it. Dr said to continue bathing it. Luckily it burst just when we got back from hospital. Funnily enough a week on we still do not have appt letter. (think urgent means under 6 weeks). I did buy some over the counter antibiotic drops when it burst to put on a few times a day to prevent infection.

Even if your lo's disappears I think it is important to see dr about recurrent ones.

Thanks elibean and emandjules. Never thought of eye casualty - will if it gets any worse coz I can't see my own gp until next thursday. What were you bathing it with emandjules? I've just been using warm (boiled) water with a bit of sea salt in. Have tried to gently massage it as well as it said on one of the internet sites I looked at. He has a very small one on his lower lid, and a larger one on the upper lid of the same eye. Poor, poor love, although he doesn't seem bothered by it, it's a bit unsightly.

lol when I was bathing it this morning he said ' mummy I think it's an egg'!

just cooled boiled water. We actually got wrong off nurse for going to eye cas. They don't see lumps and bumps apparently.

Oh, thanks emandjules. Will be mindful of that, cheers.

Don't know if anyone will still reply to this thread but my 16 month dd has a chalazion on her right eyelid that was not budged since August. Have been to see GP a couple of times when it flared up red and they gave her antibiotic eyedrops - worked the first time, but now the second time, 14 days into the eye drops it still doesn't work. GP said wasn't much that could be done, that all opthamologist would recommend surgery with general aesthetic which is too risky at her age. It seems to be getting bigger now (maybe size of a pea), and sometimes she rubs at it like it bothers her (but not always). Warm compresses don't really work as she cries if I hold it for more than 10 seconds. Any advice?